WE REMEMBER THEM!

In the year 1918
     at 11 a.m. on the 11th day
          of the 11th month
bells rang out
     to signal the end of a war
          that had seen millions of lives lost.

Today in our Church and in 
     many churches and 
          other places all over world
these lives were remembered...
...and we are grateful
     to those we have known
          and also to all those
whose faces and names
     are unknown to us
          but who were killed
or were left bruised
     crushed and bleeding
          at the bottom of a muddy trench
               with the stench
                    of death all around...
...what a waste of lives.

And yet it still goes on today!

The freedom they fought for
     is real - not abstract...
freedom from fear
     injustice and bigotry...
freedom to choose
     to act and to speak out.

Today we remembered and
     honoured them
          with love, sadness
               respect and gratitude.

Over a hundred years on
     these questions are on our lips
“Was it all worth it?"
and
"Have we learned anything
     from the mistakes of the past?”

© Maureen Iles

Our Church flowers this morning - and photographs in memory of Mr. HCB's Uncle Ernest, bottom left who was killed in action on 10th July 1944, his father, top left, who served in India and Mrs. HCB’s grandfather, top right, who served on HMS Durban in World War I.